Caring for the alien, or the outsider, is a recurring theme in the Bible that highlights God’s love and compassion extended to all individuals, regardless of their origin. These verses remind us of the importance of hospitality and kindness, as well as our responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect. In an increasingly diverse world, these teachings resonate deeply, encouraging us to reach out to those who may feel isolated or marginalized.
Throughout scripture, God commands His people to remember the plight of the alien and to show them compassion as a reflection of His own mercy. By exploring these 30 selected verses, we can gain insights into how to embody this care in our everyday lives, fostering a spirit of inclusivity, understanding, and love for all of God’s creation.
You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge.
The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants… I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds…
So Peter opened his mouth and said: Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and foreigners will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
Famous and Strong Quotes about care for the alien
There is nothing alien about caring for the alien.
The idea that we are alone in the universe is as absurd as the idea that we are the only intelligent beings.
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.
We can't be sure that we are the only form of intelligent life in the universe.
We need society to speak to those who are different.
Welcoming the Stranger with Compassion
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You with humble hearts, seeking Your guidance and compassion. We acknowledge the call in Your Word to care for the alien among us. Help us to embrace those who come from different lands and backgrounds, recognizing that they are also Your children.
Grant us the wisdom to see their struggles and the grace to offer a helping hand. May we create spaces of belonging, where every individual feels loved and valued. Teach us to listen, to understand, and to stand in solidarity with the marginalized and the displaced.
Lord, instill in us a spirit of hospitality, so that our communities may reflect Your love and kindness. May our actions speak louder than words, showing the world the beauty of unity in diversity. Strengthen us to serve as vessels of Your peace and compassion.
In Your mighty name, we pray,
Amen.